Tell us what commercial foods have worked for you and which have caused problems; information, questions, warnings and advice on dog food companies, ingredients, brands, and switching foods.
(Recall information now in it's own discussion here in The Food Group)
We feed Rusty Fromm. Right now he's eating Chicken, but he loves the pork and applesauce, and the whitefish and potatoe, too. We switch flavors every bag too. We used to feed him Canidae for a long time, but he really loves Fromm. Only all natural treats. Usually the Canidae biscuits, little carrots, bananas, and now he's got some organic treats he loves. We also moisten his meals with Kifer or yogurt. He licks the bowl clean! I'm always on Dogfoodanalysis.com to see what other brands are out there that are good. My dog I had growing up ate Purina all her life, and lived to be 13 years old, but we know so much more about nutrition today then we did years ago, so why not give the best if you can.
It's interesting that you mention Fromm, Loreta. I had never heard much about it, and then noticed a display at the pet supple store the other day. From the label, it looks a really good quality food. I was thinking I might try it, and it's good to hear that someone else's doodle likes the taste, since I live with the pickiest eater ever born!
We were getting the smaller bags at first, to make sure he liked it, too. The only one he really didn't like was the Salmon. I am very particular about what I look for as far as ingredients-maybe even a little neurotic about it. Fromm is a 5 star food, I beleive, on a 6 star scale. check out that website, dogfoodanalysis.com. you can look at it a few different ways. It has an alphabetical list of dog foods, or you can look at food by their rating. If you are looking for a 6 star food, you'll see only those, 5 star food, etc. I am also carefull to look at the protein content. Some of the good foods have high protein, which is not always good, depending on the size and breed of the dog. We try to keep Rusty at no more than 26% or so. A lot of the food that has no grain is higher in protein, so I just try to read labels, as I do when I shop for the rest of us.
I think sometimes, though, Rusty eats healthiier than we do! So glad I joined this group! Nice to have others who can share this kind of info!
Max can't handle the higher protein. He gets flatulence and sometimes the runs. I've been searching and searching for a high quality food with a lower protein content and product not made in China. Fromm seems to fit the bill. I'm going to try the chicken...well Max is anyway. :D
I've also decided to stop giving him any snacks from China. I'm just not willing to gamble. He currently eats Costco Chicken & Rice as well as the chicken strips they sell for a snack.
I ditched all treats from China. I hope to ditch toys from their too - at least until I can feel confident about the products. I usually give Max a canned food meal for holidays - as a treat. Today, his Easter meal is homemade instead - chicken stew (chicken thigh meat, mushy brown rice, peas and blueberries) His dessert was a little Greek Yogurt with some salmon oil - LOL.
Max's dinner sounds yummy, and I bet he thought so, too!
Good luck finding toys that aren't made in China. Most of us haven't had much luck with that, unless you buy toys that are handmade. :(
Toys from China = REALLY? Good grief. Okay - I'll have to make this a mission of mine.
Max loved the homemade food and it didn't give him a tummy problem.
Last night and this morning, I gave Max the Fromm 4 Star - Chicken a la Veg. OMG! He loved it. I haven't seen him this excited since he was on Royal Canine way back when. If he doesn't have a digestive problem with this food than I'm in heaven.
*Made in USA
*Not high protein - yet quality protein (Max can't handle high protein)
*Small Bites (Max is a mini and can be a mess with the bigger kibble)
*Smells Appetizing (similiar to RC smell)
*Limited Fillers
*Variety of Flavors
*5/6 Star Rating @ dogfoodanalysis.com
As far as dry kibble goes, this looks like a real winner.
Oh, we're huge fans of Fromm's here in TFG...we've been singing their praises for a long time. I have yet to hear of any dog who doesn't like it or who has issues from it.
I am an outlier in this. My doodles have been eating Canidae and made it through the formula change without a hitch. So, not wanting to fix what isn't broken... we have stuck with it.